Gadgets made by a host of big-name manufacturers, including Nokia and HTC, could be banned from import into the US, if a patent violation investigation being conducted the US International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in the claimant’s favour.
The government body has voted to investigate claims by patent purchasing firm Saxon …

COMMENTS

Who?

Out of interest if you go to the Saxon Innovations LLC web site http://www.saxoninnovations.com you get a holding page. Methinks they are nothing more than patent trolls. These guys have form, too - http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88420

If a company has no track record of directly using or licencing a patent, and has no R&D ongoing that uses it, they shouldn't be allowed to smack down this kind of legal paperwork. And the longer they hold a patent without doing so, the less valid their case should be.

Here we go again!

I still do NOT understand how companies can get away with buying vague patents and then using them to cripple other companies!

This whole patent trolling thing smacks of Extortion, the vast majority of these patents should never have been given.

So they have a patent that outlines a vague description of some vague process, how is this a patent?

They did no invent the microprocessor, electronics or LCD display used in a mobile phones, they did not copyright the software code or the programs used to make them work.

All they have done is to think of a new possible way to use existing patented/copyrighted stuff to do something else.

I would sue them filing a patent that uses technologies they do not own the right to use.

Patent 4-19419-419

A device that causes the user to exhibit but not limited to enjoyment, excitement, joy, amusement, fear, horror or happiness. These emotional states would be caused due to through visual or audio stimulus created by a photon emitting display and/or air wave compression device.

Now everyone you have to stop using any device with an LCD screen or speaker/headphone socket because if you watch any video or listen to any music or receive or initiate any conversation which may possibly cause an emotional state described in the patent you will be in breach of my patent.

You can of course buy a license, just 100 million for 10 year global license!

If America does not deal with this patent troll situation, they may find that the rest of the world just ignores their patent rights globally.

patently stupid

There's a nice penny arcade cartoon on this issue, the American patent system is going to shoot itself in the foot here, banning the import of tech such as tvs, phones, dvds is going to seriously hurt their economy. Unless you're Amish. Need to stop awarding patents that are just descriptions of systems and ideas before someone patents the mechanism for breathing unsupported.

Down with the Trolls

There should be a rule that only the original inventor can renew patent grant indefinitely but only for always increasing fee. Lets say after 15 -25 years or so it would be better to turn it over into public domain.

If the patent changes hands the renewal option get limited and the fees for renewing it increase.

You should also be unable to renew it past 5-10 years.

This way if you buy it you better start using it right away.

This would be fair to the inventors i think and would keep us all progressing.

@Luke

Simple test

The test for these patent troll cases should be quite simple. If you are a company with patents and you have no product either in development or on the market using such a patent then you can't defend the patent.

This prevents technology patent trolls acting as parasites and gambling their money buying patents to then earn income by enforcing them.

Patents are out of hand, they were originally introduced to prevent the smaller company getting their ideas ripped off by the big companies.

Just state you don't use their patented method

You use another one.

Then, as proof, ask the trolls to explain how their kit enables the result. If they don't get it right (or if it is different from how one of the other defendants do it), then there is no patent infringement.

After all, you can't get sued for making "a device that catches rodent vermin", do you. Or "fixing two bits of wood together".

Bad career mistake - Remember NTP?

These guys added RIM to the basket, who already have legal precedent for something like this; NTP tried to get the Blackberry banned and switched off in the US... only to find that Congress asked for them *not* to be shut down, and the USPTO to strike down some of the patents.

RIM's got a pretty strong standing on this, so Saxon is risking a USPTO patent revision with this. Good!